Christie's Buzzer Beater Lifts 'Runners to Victory
December 3, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Topeka Pilots News Release
It took every last drop of 65 minutes including overtime, but the Topeka RoadRunners overcame a 2-0 deficit to post a 3-2 win in Corpus Christi on Friday night.
After a scoreless first period which saw each team play somewhat cautiously, trying to get a feel for an opponent being seen for the first time a third of the way into the season, the second period opened up with the Ice Rays getting on the board first. With the 'Runners trying to clear the zone, Perry D'Arrisso threw a no-look shot toward the net that glanced off the skate of Joe Ginley into the net at 10:38. Corpus Christi jumped ahead 2-0 when A.J. Jarosz found a loose puck while forechecking on a penalty kill, a shooting across the grain he beat Brandon Reagan at 14:24 for the shorthanded tally. The 'Runners bounced back to cut the lead in half when Brian Christie took off from deep in his own zone, sent a pass to Linus Johansson on the right wing who quickly fired it back across for the redirection goal at 17:36. Topeka tied the game at 2-2 when two RoadRunners playing in their first games each contributed on the score. Newcomer Michal Pastor fired a pass from the 'Runners blue line to Sean Gaffney who fought off former RoadRunner Justin Lutsch to get a one-handed shot off that was initially turned aside butCollin Montgomery followed through and punched the rebound across the line and the teams were deadlocked at 2-2 after 2. The second period also saw a pair of fights, as Michal Pastor scrapped with Seth Blair, and Kyle Sharkey battled Ladislav Hruska.
The third period was a spirited affair, though penalty free. Topeka brought goalie Peter Traber in to relieve Brandon Reagan at the start of the third, and Traber turned aside each of the eight shots he faced in the third. His counterpart, Anthony Stolarz kept 15 Topeka shots out of the net and at the end of regulation, despite a 35-20 shot advantage for the 'Runners, the score remained tied at 2-2.
In the overtime period, action swung from end to end, but the knockout punch came in the waning moments. A shot from the neutral zone byKevin Patterson handcuffed Stolarz slightly, and though his intention was to drop it into the corner to run out the clock, he couldn't shake it out of his glove quick enough and the whistle sounded with 1.1 seconds left on the clock. WIth an offensive zone draw to the right of Stolarz and the 'Runner net nearly 160 feet away, Topeka's coaching staff opted to pull Traber to the bench for the extra attacker on the faceoff. The left-handed Brian Christie was selected to take the draw against Joe Ginley. As Ginley lunged forward, Christie leaned around and in one swift motion fired a shot that beat Stolarz through the five-hole as the clock hit double zeros. The referee initially signaled it as a goal, and after conferring with his linesmen, confirmed the ruling to the stunned disbelief of the Ice Rays and their fans.
Topeka (15-10-2) and Corpus Christi (10-10-1) square off in the second of four regular season meetings on Saturday night at 7:05 pm in the American Bank Center. The pregame show begins at 6:45 pm on countrylegends1069.com and videocast on nahl.fasthockey.com. The 'Runners will then head home to begin an 8-game homestand.
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North American Hockey League Stories from December 3, 2011
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